Located in:
IV. Coordination with State Plan Programs
Current Narrative:
With the passage of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act of 2014, the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services and its Adult Education Services Division, Rehabilitative Services Division, and Division of Services for the Blind began meeting to discuss the implication of the new legislation and begin necessary discussions for the successful implementation of the federal law in Arkansas.
In November 2014, representatives from each of these agencies formed a WIOA Roundtable that met monthly and soon were joined by additional representatives from Registered Apprenticeship, higher education, secondary education, two- and four-year educational institutions, Carl D. Perkins secondary and post-secondary programs, Career and Technical Education, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, human services, and elected officials to engage in discussions about integration of services provided by a multitude of service providers. This planning team established committees to focus on critical areas in WIOA implementation to include: finance, IT system integration, policy development, core performance measures, sector strategies, and the development of the state workforce development plan.
The WIOA Roundtable continues to meet monthly to discuss ways to best align programs, prevent duplication, and increase access to services for jobseekers and employers. This plan was developed jointly by members of the Arkansas WIOA Roundtable.
In March 2015 and September 2015, a meeting of directors, managers, and supervisors from local workforce development boards and core partners was held and attended by more than 250 individuals from across Arkansas to talk about implementation strategies at the local level.
The Arkansas Workforce Development Board, a business led board, was formed in May 2015 and includes the directors of the core partner program agencies as members in addition to secondary education, higher education, and economic development. The goals and strategies included in this plan are the product of many months of strategic planning and input from various sources.
In July 2015, a statewide WIOA training and strategy session was held and was attended by 500 individuals representing state and local workforce boards members, core and optional workforce partner programs, secondary and higher education, state and local economic development, community-based organizations, employers, and elected officials.
In November and December of 2015, a strategic planning session was held by the Arkansas Workforce Development Board to frame out the goals and strategies to be included in the state plan. An invitation was extended to the Arkansas Career Education and Workforce Development Board, the oversight board for the agency that administers the Adult Education and Vocational
Rehabilitation Services programs, to join in the planning process to ensure that both boards were moving in the same direction as it relates to workforce development in Arkansas.
Beginning in 2016 and continuing in 2017, the biannual WIOA statewide partners meetings have been conducted. These meetings are a continuation of the training and strategy sessions that began in 2015 and provide ongoing opportunities for all WIOA partner representatives to convene and discuss the ongoing development of the state’s workforce development system.